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May 25, 2016

Top Strategies for Battling Negativity, part 4

Personally,
I think that pessimism is a hidden epidemic. No, it’s a pandemic because it’s definitely a global concern. Like any “disease”, it’s damaging to our mental and
physical health.

The Message of Society, if we Believe
It

“Everything and everybody are beyond our
control. It’s a mistake to try to find reason in a nonsensical world. There is
no absolute truth to grasp onto.” If that isn’t a dark, defeatist message, I
don’t know what is!

Personally,
I don’t buy it. I can’t afford to grasp onto it. The worst-case scenario sometimes
happens, but not always. We can’t afford to focus that much negative energy
inward. That’s why I’m doing a series of articles on proven solutions to
negativity. Well, they work for some of us, anyways. No result is guaranteed:

In part three, I suggested that the inevitable
storms of life are often necessary to take us to new levels. In other words, if
we don’t shake it up, we don’t move forward.

In this article, part four, I will
address focusing on our proven strengths,
no matter what others may say. I would like to share two techniques from a
recent episode of Undercover Boss:

Don’t be Ruled by What Others say or
Think.

The CEO of
Wienerschnitzel is Cindy Galardi Culpepper. She is a Southern California socialite who
took over the company after her husband passed away. As a pampered wife, she had
not been accustomed to hard work. She was used to attending parties and indulging
in luxury.

The all-male
hierarchy at Wienerschnitzel immediately tried to shut her out. They labeled
her, in her words, as a “blonde bimbo”. In
other words, they didn’t expect much out of her. Some women would have been intimidated
by their opinions; Gallardi ignored them.

Remember Your Past Victories and
Strengths.

The Old Boys’
Network got more than they bargained for. They didn’t know what power laid
buried deep within Gallardi. These men unleashed a raw strength they weren’t
expecting.

The strong
lady was able to disregard their feelings because she recalled that she had made
it through an unbelievably tough childhood. This CEO had survived before, and
she could do it again. She merely had to dig deep within herself and find the resilience that had already helped her to overcome deep
trials.

My Conclusion

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no
evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”—Psalm 23:14
(NIV)

The message
of society is that life makes no sense, and it never will. We can only expect metaphorical
darkness. Such an idea cannot lead to happiness.

Overcomers
like Cindy Galardi Culpepper teach us not
to accept pessimism from ourselves or others. We may feel weak. Other
people may try to weaken us, or disrespect us in some way. We can turn that
around when we reject their opinions and access the strength that is deep
within.